Hurricane Sandy Begins US Strike

Hurricane Sandy began to effect the Eastern US, as it closed in on the seaboard.

As it collides with a winter storm, heading down from the arctic, it will bring as much as a foot of rain or two feet of snow, to twelve different states.

Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, DC, and parts of North Carolina have already declared varying levels of emergencies and warnings, as they brace for the impact.

In New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, and other cities all mass transit will be shut down as of 7pm EDT, schools will be closed on Monday, and low lying areas are being evacuated.

Evacuations of coastal areas, all up and down the eastern coast, have been announced, with most being voluntarily, but some being mandatory.

Airlines have cancelled more than five thousand flights, due to the storm, and Amtrak has announced a suspension of service in the affected areas.

Sandy is expected to make landfall, somewhere in the Mid Atlantic, on Monday evening, but hurricane winds will be striking the coast by Sunday night.

Expectations are for millions to lose power, land line phones, and possibly cell service.

The Hurricane killed at least sixty people, as it made it's way through the Caribbean.

Israel Swiftly Responds to Rocket Attack

Gaza militants launched rockets into Israel, on Sunday, ending a three day halt in the fighting.

The rockets did not cause any casualties.

Israel quickly responded with an air strike, which killed one militant and injured another.

It is yet unclear if this was an isolated occurrence, or whether rocket attacks will return to the numbers seen last week.

Last Tuesday and Wednesday saw around a hundred rockets launched, injuring at least six people in Israel.

Third Day For Chinese Protests Against Chemical Plant Expansion

Hundreds to thousands of people have continued to protest in Ningbo, China, for a third day.

They are protesting a planned expansion of a chemical factory.

Friday and Saturday saw dozens arrested and some injuries as protesters clashed with police.

Sunday saw the government agree not to expand, but they wouldn't give much details, causing the protesters to doubt their word.

Meetings between local citizens and the government have not gone well, according to local activists.

Some have reported that social media sites and photo uploading have been blocked, in the area.

La Parada Riots Enter Third Day

Riots in Peru have continued into their third day.

Authorities are trying to shut down La Parada, an extremely popular market, in Lima.

Officially they are doing so due to concerns over the cleanliness of the market, but it is used quite heavily by black marketeers.

Police have used tear gas, rubber bullets, and batons as they try to accomplish the closure.

At least four people have been killed, dozens injured, and over one hundred arrested.

Ten Dead After Suicide Bombing in Nigeria

A man drove an explosive loaded vehicle into a Nigerian church, Sunday morning, killing eight and injuring over one hundred.

The blast took out a wall of St Rita's and shook the town of Malali.

After the attack, angry Christian youths went into a Muslim neighborhood and killed at least two, before police were able to block their path.

Boko Haram, while not claiming responsibility, has been blamed for the attack, as they've attacked churches in similar ways before.

The terrorist group has been trying to turn Nigeria into a Muslim state, since 2009.

Around three thousand people have been killed since they began their attacks.

7.7 BC Quake Evacuates Hawaiian Beaches

A 7.7 earthquake was recorded just after midnight PST in the Queen Charlotte Islands, off British Columbia.

Aftershocks up to 6.3 have followed the quake.

Tsunami warnings were issued for the BC, Washington, and Hawaiian coasts.

Entire communities were evacuated from some British Columbian islands, but they have since been allowed to return.

Over 100,000 people were evacuated from Hawaiian coastal areas, but no big wave came.

Officials in Hawaii are keeping beaches closed, for now, as a precaution.

No major damage or injuries have been reported, anywhere, due to the quake.

Hurricane Sandy Kills 43

Sandy seen from the International Space Station

As Hurricane Sandy sets it's sights on the US east coast, the Caribbean is cleaning up after the mess left.

A total of forty-three people have been killed by the storm.

Haiti alone has seen twenty-nine people die, as rains have come down non stop since Tuesday.

Cuba, Jamaica, and the Bahamas have each taken direct hits from Sandy.

For part of Friday, Sandy lost part of it's strength, losing hurricane status for a few hours.

Several US states have preemptively declared emergencies, as they brace for impact.

The huge storm could drench a third of the US in rains and winds, and eliminate electricity for sixty million.

Worries are that it will turn into a "super storm" when it collides with the Arctic jet stream, which could cause the worst storm the US has seen in decades.

Indonesia Arrests 11 Plotting Attack on US Embassy

Indonesia announced that it had arrested eleven people who were plotting a terrorist attack upon the US embassy in Jakarta.

Other planned targets included the Australian embassy, the US consulate in Surabaya, offices of foreign groups, and popular tourist locations.

When their crack counter terrorism group raided the group they found bomb making materials, and at least one bomb that was ready to go.

The terrorists belonged to Harakah Sunni for the Indonesian Society, a recently developed militant group.

Police have been working hard to crackdown on terrorist groups, in the country, killing seven and arresting hundreds, in the process.

Thirty Killed in Baghdad Bombings

At least thirty people were killed in two separate explosions in Baghdad, early Saturday.

Twenty-three people were killed when a car bomb went off at a popular restaurant, in Sadr City.

Six Iranian pilgrims were killed when a bomb attached to their bus exploded.

In a third explosion, three children when a car bomb exploded near a playground.

The violence is marring the Islamic holiday of Eid al Adha, and has targeted Shi'ites.

It is likely that Al Qaeda, which is a Sunni terrorist group, is behind the attacks.

337 Now Ill With Meningitis

The meningitis outbreak has added more cases, on Saturday, now with 337 people ill from it and seven joint infections.

Twenty-five people have died from the contaminated steroid shots.

Meningitis can take forty-two days to surface, leading to the still growing epidemic. 
 
All of the illnesses and deaths were caused by a contamination in anti inflammatory steroid shots, most of which were given via the spine.

Seventy-six locations, in twenty-three states, were sent the shots, which were given to as many as fourteen thousand people.

New England Compounding Center made the shots, and has complied completely with government officials who are conducting the investigation.

Officials are investigating at least two other drugs, made by NECC, for possibilities that they too may have been contaminated.

Things are only getting worse for the company, and now the government, as evidence comes out that they had been under investigation, for issues in their processing, since 2002.